Girl On Fire
by RealSlytherinGirlAtHeart
Summary: I suck at summaries, but here we go. AU story in which Hermione Granger is born to become a weapon for the Dark Side. Can her Professors and friends save her from herself? I intend to go through the Harry Potter series with this story, but might need some encouragement. Rating may change later
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: This will apply to all chapters from here on out. I do not, nor will I ever (most likely) own the rights to Harry Potter. I am just having some fun with the lovely Mrs. Rowling's characters for a little while.

A/N: This fanfiction is AU. Completely, 100% AU. Well, not completely. I plan on having my stories follow the basic plots of the books, but with a few HUGE exceptions. Everything, aside from the introduction will be from Hermione's PoV and she is the main character. Harry's story is still central to defeating Voldemort, but my stories will focus on keeping Hermione out of the clutches of evil, because I have made her a tool the Dark Side wants to get their hands on. Some of the characters, as the stories progress, will be OC. If you don't like it, then don't read it. I don't really care.

Without further ado, I present to you, "Girl on Fire" (And yes I was thinking of "The Hunger Games" when I came up with the title, but it will all make sense...I hope.)

Introduction

Minerva McGonagall was stunned. Never before in her almost 60 years of teaching, has the sorting hat taken this long to sort a student. The terrified first year, a muggleborn, sat with her leg bouncing on the stool, listening to what the hat was whispering in her ear. Minerva thought back to this summer when she personally delivered the girls letter to her and her parents.

_The walk up to the fine, two-story, brick house was a short one, which Minerva was eternally grateful for. Upon arriving at the front door and ringing the bell, she was greeted by a butler who welcomed her into the muggles home. After being put in a study filled to the brim with books Minerva was forced to wait for the parents of the child she was hoping to see to come and meet her._

_Not too long after she had settled on to a plain blue couch that had a very rigid back, a stern man with a handsome face and short brown hair and a very stunning woman with hair so curly it could rival Athena's flowed into the room followed closely by a plain girl with wild hair. The man introduced himself as Mr. Roger Granger and the woman as Mrs. Jean Granger. The child was not introduced to Minerva, but she already knew that this was Hermione Granger._

_Minerva started her well-rehearsed speech with some trepidation._

_"Hello, my name is Professor McGonagall and I am a teacher at a very special school for very special students. Hermione, have you noticed that you are able to do things the other kids can't?"_

_The poor girl looked startled that Minerva had addressed her specifically and already knew her name. She looked toward her parents both of whom had tight lips and stony expressions. The girl nodded to the Professor, and her parents faces transformed into looks of outrage._

_"Hermione cannot do anything 'special'. She is a normal girl with an above average intelligence." Mr. Granger sneered._

_For the first time Hermione spoke up. "Father, you know I have powers, you've seen them yourself." At that the girl waved her hand in front of her and a ball of bluebell fire appeared before her. Both of her parents took several steps back in fear, while Minerva starred with a gaping mouth. She had never before seen such control of magic come from an eleven year old, muggleborn or pureblood._

_"How long have you been able to do that child?" she asked with a reverent tone._

_With a shrug, Hermione said, "About a year, maybe close to two."_

_Her parents, having recovered from the shock spoke up again._

_"Our daughter is not going to a school for freaks like her. We will have none of this nonsense in our household. If she goes to this so called 'school' of yours then mark my words she will no longer be welcomed here." At each word Hermione shrunk away from Mrs. Granger's prim voice. Mr. Granger stood firmly by his wife's decision. He wanted nothing to do with the magic his only daughter had._

_Professor McGonagall turns to Hermione, who had tears in her eyes at her parent's proclamation. The young girl was curious about her powers and the school, but at the same time the muggle world was the only one she had ever known. Minerva knew she could not ease her fears at the thought of a strange new world, but at least she could make her a promise._

_"If you decide to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and your parents truly mean to leave you destitute, then you can become a ward of the school and you will be protected. You may stay in the castle on holidays or leave with a friend's family. You will have clothing, books and anything else needed provided to you."_

_Hermione's eyes grew thoughtful as she weighed her options. After a few tense moments, with Minerva and her parents waiting with baited breath, Hermione gave her answer._

_"Professor, I would like to go to this school. I feel this magic inside of me like an extra limb and I could not ignore it, even if it means being disowned by my family." At these words she looked hopefully at her parents, wishing to see a change of heart in them when they heard her decision. But the stony looks on their faces confirmed Minerva's fears; they would not let Hermione call this place home again. To prove her point the Granger's turned and walked out of the room, not before barking at the butler to have all of Hermione's possessions packed in boxes immediately. Mr. Granger then told Minerva someone could pick up all of Hermione's things the following day._

_Completely disgusted by their reaction Minerva pulled out her wand and with a wave all of Miss Granger's worldly possessions flew to her and packed themselves neatly into boxes she had just conjured. Then with a shrinking spell everything could fit nicely in one of the many pockets in her robe._

_Hermione watched the spectacle with wide eyes full of tears._

_Softly Minerva said to the girl, "Come on then girl, I will take you to Hogwarts."_

That would be the last time Miss Granger ever saw her parents.

And now, in front of the entire school the girl sat on the three legged stool Minerva had placed down. It had been over ten minutes since she put the hat on Hermione's head and everyone was very impatient for it to decide which house to place her in. Students were craning in their seats, trying to get a look at the girl who was causing the hold up and the teachers, who had all met and gotten to know Miss Granger over the summer, looked on with open mouths. Only two professors had any expression other than shock on their face. Albus had a curious twinkle in his eyes, and Severus looked extremely worried. Minerva could not remember the last time she had ever seen Severus with a look on his face that wasn't mean. Finally the brim of the hat opened to form a mouth and it voiced its choice of house for the poor young thing.

"Slytherin!"


	2. Coming to Hogwarts

Chapter 1 Coming to Hogwarts

When I woke up this morning I could never have imagined the events that occurred today. What had started out as any other normal day so far this summer had quickly spiraled out of control. I was homeless, my parents finally giving into their fears of me and kicking me out of the only home I knew. And now I was with a strange woman, a Professor at a school of magic.

Professor McGonagall was continuously talking to me, trying to comfort me I think, and spewing random things we apparently needed to get before the start of term.

"...And of course we will get an account set up for you at Gringotts, every young person should have some spending money. But you won't need to buy your basic necessities; the school will take care of that. Alright dear, this should be good." Minerva had found a secluded corner of a park near my, now former, house.

"I hate traveling the slow way and we are nowhere close to a fire place to Floo, so I am going to Apparate with you. Now this is going to be uncomfortable for you, but it really is the fastest way to get around. If you would please grab my arm." The woman extended her arm out and I took hold of it and before I could ask her what she was going to do I felt a tug and a sick feeling enveloped me. A pressure like I had never felt before squeezed me tightly, I could not take a breath and I felt on the verge of passing out when suddenly it stopped as if it never happened.

When I opened my eyes, I didn't realize I had shut them in the first place, I gasped. Directly before me a huge wrought iron gate loomed, with bronze winged boars on top of tall pillars to either side and beyond that, past a rolling field of grass and situated next to a black lake was a beautiful castle. It was not an overly huge castle, but there was something about the light stone and dark towers that gave a feeling of belonging to me. I noticed that along the other side of the lake extending toward the gate where we were standing was a very dense and dark forest. These woods gave off a foreboding feeling. Opposite the dark forest was a lighter clump of trees with some sort of stadium in their midst.

Professor McGonagall was watching me as I took in the grounds of my new home. She smiled slightly and opened the gates with a touch from her hand. We walked in silence to the giant front doors.

"Now, it is lunch time so we will grab a bite to eat before I get you settled into a temporary room. Do not be frightened, but you are going to meet the other Professors. They will all be welcoming to you." The older woman said.

When we climbed the stairs the doors automatically opened for us. I was ushered to another set of large doors immediately to our right that were already opened wide. I stepped into a massive dining hall, with four long, empty tables. The only occupied table was one that stretched across the back of the hall. The floor to ceiling windows on all sides of the hall let in all of the natural light possible, and when my eyes followed one of the windows up I was astonished to see the sky, or at least what appeared to be the sky. My mouth dropped of its own accord in astonishment.

I heard a small chuckle from one of the occupants of the aforementioned table. An extremely old man, with long white hair and an even longer white beard was smiling at me from the center of the table.

"The ceiling is enchanted, my dear, as I am sure you have figured out" The man seemed like he could be a grandfather figure to every student who came through the school; he had blue eyes that held a lifetime of knowledge, but they also had a twinkling youthfulness that made this man seem to me to be ageless.

The old man spoke to me again. "Hermione let me introduce you to those of the staff who are present in the castle right now. You have already met Professor McGonagall; she teaches Transfiguration and is the Head of Gryffindor house. To my left we have Professor Flitwick,"

An extremely short man bowed his head.

"He teaches Charms and is the Head of Ravenclaw house. Next to him is Rubeus Hagrid the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds."

This man was so tall I would have called him a giant and the difference in height between the two men sitting next to each other was comical.

"To my right," the man continued, "is Professor Snape, our resident Potions Master and Head of Slytherin house."

A black haired, scowling man met my eyes as I glanced over at him, and then he quickly looked down at his plate.

"Further down we have Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff house, and Professor Sinstra who teach Herbology and Astronomy respectively. And Madam Pomfrey is down at the end. She runs our Hospital Wing. Many of the other Professors are on their summer vacations at the moment."

Minerva cleared her throat next to me, and gave the man a pointed look.

"Oh, of course, and I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Welcome my dear."

After introductions were made, Professor McGonagall ushered me up to the table and into a conjured chair next to her own. On her left was Professor Dumbledore and on my right sat the Potions Master. He gave off an intense feeling of being unwelcome; he was sitting rigid in his chair, pushing food around on his plate like a sullen child.

I ate a quick lunch, not hungry after the morning I had.

Professor McGonagall showed me to my living quarters shortly thereafter. On our way up the stairs I was shocked to see that paintings in the castle were moving. But of course what else would I expect of a school for witches and wizards.

Since I was alone with the pleasant woman I felt brave enough to ask her a question. "Are there other children here? More wards of the school I mean."

She hesitated, "No, there are no other wards. In fact you are the first ward we have taken in a few centuries. Your case is a very special one and Albus will explain it all to you later. Here is your room."

She had led me to a painting, moving of course, that was on the fourth floor.

"Please feel free to explore the castle and don't hesitate to enter any classroom, but please stay away from the third floor corridor on the right hand side as it is out of bounds this year. The hospital wing is right down this hall, if anything should arise, all of your things should be in there already and the password is marigold. " With that the portrait opened and the Professor left with a curt nod.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, things will pick up soon and I should have the next few chapters up rather quickly. Please review and tell me what you thought! 3


	3. The Meeting

Chapter 2

The Meeting

I was lying on my temporary bed when I heard a tapping at the window in the sitting room. A beautiful barn owl was perched on a ledge outside patiently waiting.

I stared at it wondering why an owl would be at my window in the middle of the day when I noticed it was clutching a folded piece of paper in its talons.

I figured it must be some odd way the wizards deliver messages so I opened the window. The owl held out a claw with the paper in it, so I took it and then it flew to the mantle above my fireplace.

The message was from Professor Dumbledore.

Miss Granger,

I hope you are adjusting well to the new and sudden change in your life. I am writing to request your presence in my office at 4 this afternoon. I am aware you are not a custom to our way of delivering mail. We use owls in the wizarding world. Our trained owls are quite brilliant, they only require a person's name and they will fly off with the letter. I am gifting this barn owl to you. Think of her as a welcome gift. Please feel free to name her as you see fit.

Humbly yours,

Albus Dumbledore

My own owl? I have never had a pet before; my parents thought they were unclean.

I looked at the beauty with her heart shaped white face and felt as though I was looking at the moon.

"I will name you Selene, after the goddess of the moon. I hope it pleases you."

Selene softly hooted in response and allowed me to caress her head.

I had a little more than an hour before I had to meet with Professor Dumbledore. As an afterthought he had added directions to his office as well as a password for the Griffin statue guarding it. What kind of password was cockroach cluster?

I didn't need to unpack anything, it was already done when I entered the room, and so I had nothing to do, but wait and try not to freak out about this whole situation.

Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk when I opened the door. A musical note trilled through the air and I looked up at a gorgeous red bird unlike any I have seen before.

"That, Miss Granger, is Fawkes, he is a phoenix. I believe he likes you, he doesn't greet many people. Please take a seat; we have much to talk about. We are just waiting for one..."

The door slammed open in a spectacular fashion. Professor Snape, the mean looking man, strode in with his black cape billowing behind him.

Dumbledore sighed. "Come now Severus, are the theatrics really necessary?"

In response the Headmaster only got a glare.

Again he sighed. "At least you are here and we can get started. Miss Granger, Minerva tells me you have an affinity for fire."

"I can make fire, Sir. I thought it would be common place at a school of magic?" I was confused.

"Yes, yes dear older students can conjure magical flames, but never without a wand. Not even I can control the elements without the help of my wand. What you can do is extraordinary. Would you mind showing Severus and I?"

I felt nervousness bubble inside me, what if my magic stopped working? Would they realize taking me in was a mistake and cast me out? Taking a deep breath to steady myself I raised my hands. I felt the familiar energy inside me rise to my bidding. I focused on the hottest part of that energy and imagined the flames in front of me.

I heard two gasps and looked down to see the blue flames dancing around in a ball.

The Potions Master spoke for the first time since I met him. "How far does your control extend Miss Granger?" His voice was like silk and his tone was reverent. "Can you move the flames, command them?"

I nodded to the Professor and extended one of my arms and the flames moved with it, I brought it back to center and then did the same with the other arm. I then chose a spot on the wall that was devoid of any portraits or other items and shrunk the ball of flames into a smaller one, less than the size of a golf ball and I willed it to shoot forward. It hit the wall where it extinguished immediately but left a small black mark.

"Sorry about your wall Sir. But that is all I can do with the fire. It moves with me and I can shoot it like that." I sheepishly looked at the Headmaster. His eyes were calculating and his face thoughtful.

"Miss Granger, please sit down. There is no easy way to explain this to you, but you need to know for your own safety and the safety of others. I had an inkling of what you were when the Book wrote down your name for enrollment. When a young witch or wizard turns 11 their name is written in my Book to be enrolled here at Hogwarts the next year. Your name was different than everyone else's. Severus, would you mind...?"

He had already retrieved the Book in question and was placing it in front of me. Hundreds of names were written in black ink, but one name was written in bright red ink. My name. I looked up questioningly.

"This Book only has this last century of students if you go back to the school's founding you would find only one or two names written in other colors each century or so, and only three in red ink in the entire history of the school. These colors indicate that a person is an Elemental. Blue for water, green for earth, yellow for air, and red for fire. You are a fire Elemental, my dear. You are very special. But also very dangerous."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and observed me as my mind raced.

What did were Elementals? Why were they so rare? What did he mean by me being dangerous? How could I be one of these things?

"Albus, you need to explain it further to the girl." Snape was pacing as he spoke. "Tell her now before this comes back to bite you as it did the others." The man growled his command and I was taken aback by his anger at the peaceful old man.

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "Why don't you tell her Severus, since you have done so much research on the subject? I believe you are far more qualified than I."

It was the dark man's turn to sigh. But he conceded and took up occupancy of the chair next to me turning in it just enough for him to look at me.

"Not much is known on Elementals, Miss Granger, in part because they are so rare and also because it is not easy to identify one. Only a few have been to Hogwarts but they occur in every wizarding community in the world. Three of the Elements are benign in nature, those being water, earth, and air. But fire, because of its intense destructive power is closely tied to the Dark Arts in order to truly master. Many Elementals of the benign elements pass through life not knowing they have this gift, only that they have an affinity for a particular brand of magic. Water has natural healing properties and those Elementals are usually gifted healers. Earth is grounded but ever changing and many are skilled at Transfiguration, the man who wrote the text book on Transfiguration was actually an earth Elemental from France. And air is carefree and more apt to excel in Charms." Professor Snape finished his lecture. The man, though impatient and callus, was an eloquent man and extremely intelligent. He did indeed have a vast knowledge on a subject he claimed was hard to come by.

But he still left me with questions.

"What of the fire Elementals, sir? Before it was mentioned there were three others before me. What happened to them?" I caught the glance exchanged between the men, Snape looked worried and Dumbledore merely curious.

Snape spoke again, this time in a softer tone as to not frighten me I would imagine. "All three of the previous fire Elementals went Dark. And they were consumed with the Dark Arts. All of them had to be... killed."


	4. Coming to Term

Chapter 3 Coming to Term

The darkness of my room did nothing to promote sleep. My emotions ran wild, a swirling vortex in my mind; despair, anger, and an unaccustomed confusion. It had been a week since my meeting with the Headmaster and Potions Professor and I have not been able to sleep well since. The amount of information I was trying to sort through was overwhelming. I wept the first night, for the loss of my family and the news that I was dangerous. I cried all night and into the morning. And then I decided it wasn't worth my tears any more. But I knew I was still despondent, I would never talk to the Professors at meal times, even when they asked me a question and I noticed their worried looks as the end of summer came closer.

The start of term was three weeks away on September 1st and then I would not be the only student any more. They also told me I would be sorted with the rest of the first years and find out my house.

During the days I was left alone by the teachers who were all busy planning their lessons for the next year. So I took to wandering the castle and learning my way around. I decided to start at the top and work my way down. The Astronomy tower, the tallest tower, was located near the Gryffindor tower on the seventh floor guarded by a portrait of a very large woman, the next two floors below had classrooms and the fourth, where I was staying had the hospital wing and the history class. The history professor was a ghost who even during the summer droned on and on about the subject. I had seen a few other ghosts on my adventures and many were very friendly and helpful in guiding me so I wouldn't get lost. The first time I ran into a ghost, I was fortunate enough for it to be the Fat Friar, he warned me to never listen to the resident poltergeist, Peeves. With the help of the ghosts I soon found my way to the library on the third and second floor. Madame Pince told me I could take any book I would like, except those from the restricted section. I spent a few days in the library picking out books on the history of Hogwarts and the wizarding world to better familiarize myself with this new world.

It was expected of me to eat with the Professors in the Great Hall. So I made my appearance, eating little and waiting until it would be acceptable for me to take my leave. But tonight as soon as I stood up so did Professor Snape. He looked down at me from his towering height.

"Follow me Miss Granger, I would like a word." And then he swept away. Unsure of what to do I looked to McGonagall and she nodded in the direction of the quickly retreating man. So I ran to catch up with him.

He led me down into the Dungeons of the castle, a place I had not dared to brave yet, they were dank and dimly lit. A fitting place I thought for a man with Snape's temperament. He wove through a maze of dark corridors and I followed very close behind, not wishing to get lost in this place. He held open a door for me, and I walked into what I assumed to be his classroom.

There were a dozen tables, each with room for two people and all equipped with knives. Lining the right hand wall were shelves of specimen jars. The most grotesque things were in the jars and they made me sick just looking at them. I saw three doors tucked away within these shelves. The opposite wall held many sinks with stacks of clean cauldrons next to them.

Snape swept past me and sat at his desk. I stood in front waiting expectantly.

"The Headmaster has asked me to accompany you to Diagon Alley to procure what you will need for the school year. Both he and McGonagall will be busy this next week and are unable to take you. In addition he asked that I, as he put it, 'take you under my wing' and give you extra lessons on the Dark Arts. Because of... what you are, in order to control your magic you will need to learn how it is connected to the Dark Arts. This will not be easy. Once school starts our lessons will begin. Do I make myself clear?" The man certainly had a way of commanding silence. I had a million things I wanted to ask him, but I simply nodded my head.

"Good." He said curtly. "Tomorrow you will meet me here, in my classroom, at ten and we will leave. That will be all."

At that swift dismissal, I left in quite a hurry.

The trip to Diagon Alley was rather uneventful, at least at the beginning. I felt overwhelmed when we stepped out of the fire place, yes I did say fireplace, Professor Snape took me via Floo Powder to Diagon Alley; the ash and spinning were uncomfortable, but less so than Apparition. I tried to take in as much of the Alley as I could while the Professor hurried me along, eager for this excursion to be over. The goblins were scary when we went into Gringotts, but Professor Snape hurried everything along and got us out fast. I got school robes, and all my books. Professor Snape made sure I got all the best quality potions ingredients and equipment, the shopkeeper knew who he was the moment he walked in, but then, I don't reckon you could forget someone like Professor Snape. Our last stop was Ollivander's, the wand maker. A chime sounded above the door when Professor Snape held it open for me and a thin, white haired man stepped out from between the racks.

"Ah! Miss Granger, how wonderful to see you!"

I looked at the Professor with an alarmed look, how did this man know my name? Snape just shrugged.

"Now, now dear, don't you worry one bit. I make it my business to know everyone's name. If you would please hold out your dominant arm, I just need to get a few measurements. Now let's see here. I think I have just the wand for you."

Olivander ambled off into the back of the store while his measuring tape continued to do its work. When it started to circle my head Professor Snape snapped his hand in my direction and it ceased, rolled up, and found its way back Ollivander's desk.

"Here we are. Vine wood, dragon heartstring. Very nice for Charm work."

He held out a beautiful wand to me. When I curled my fingers around it I felt warmth spread into my fingers. I waved it experimentally, and it sparked under my control, but the wand was then snatched from my grip.

"Hmm, that one seems hesitant. I could have sworn...No matter, we will try until we find the right one."

I must have tried every single wand in that store. A few reacted to my touch, but none would work for me. Professor Snape had given up long ago and had taken up residence in a rickety chair by the door.

Mr. Ollivander was at his wits end.

"I don't understand. You must have a match here. It seems as though the core and wood combinations are not powerful enough for you. I wonder..." The man trailed off mysteriously. I was too exhausted to notice what he was doing, but I heard a heavy door open. Professor Snape perked up at the sound as well, curious about the wand Ollivander was pulling for me now.

"This wand is the rarest I have ever made. Completely one of a kind at the moment. Give it a wave if you please, Miss Granger."

I could feel the power emanating from this wand as soon as my fingers reached for it. A surge of magic flew through me as soon as I made contact and caused the dust and all of the discarded wands to fly into the air. Olivander clutched his chest and looked at me with terror.

"A fire elemental. I never thought that I'd live to see the day." His eyes flew toward Professor Snape who had quickly gotten up and was at my side. "Of course Dumbledore already knew, and I am guessing you as well."

"Yes, but how did you know?" Snape asked.

Olivander cleared his throat and looked at the wand still in my hand. "Only one of those wands exists in the world at a time. Yew with the heartstring of a demon dog, also known as a hellhound. Hellhounds are the rarest magical creature, only appearing once in a millennium. This wand is more powerful than any wand known to man and can only be wielded by a fire Elemental."

I shook at the thought of using such a powerful wand. How could I control such devastating power? I felt tears sting my eyes as I thought of what Dumbledore had said. He would have to kill me or my powers could kill me. Just as my vision started to tunnel, Professor Snape's face came into my sight.

"Don't you dare pass out on me." He had a fierce expression that unnerved me. "Dumbledore would never forgive me if any harm came to you."

I focused on his presence to stop myself from losing consciousness. The Professor handed Ollivander a slip of parchment and the old man carefully put the powerful wand back into its box.

With a wave of his own wand, Ollivander maked all of the discarded wands fly back into their boxes and on the shelves. The first wand I tried is left on the counter and is also packaged and handed to Professor Snape. My thoughts quickly jump to the conclusion that I will be using the less powerful wand as a prop, so this secret doesn't get out.

A curt nod from Professor Snape signaled that it was time to leave. I couldn't find my voice so I nodded in the direction of the storekeeper and his look of intense worry left me full of dread.


	5. The Begining

Chapter 4 The Beginning

Immediately after my experience in Diagon Alley Professor Snape took me to see the Headmaster and when the dour man presented my newly acquired wand, with the hellhound core, Dumbledore barely batted an eye. Nothing seemed to surprise this man. Professor Snape then produced the dragon heartstring and vinewood wand and explained to Dumbledore his plan for me to use this wand when around others as not to accidentally cause injury. The Headmaster approved of this idea and sent us on our way.

Now, three weeks after that ordeal, I was facing the start of the school year. All of the students would be at the castle tonight and we would have a welcoming feast.

I was terrified. I was also excited to start classes and start actually learning magic. But mostly terrified.

In the three weeks since I got my school books, I had read them all at least half way through. The magic in these books was incredible, at least to me. I had even successfully tried a few minor Charms with my vinewood wand.

The dragon heartstring with its beautifully crafted vine wood, a vine carving etched on the handle, didn't feel quite right in my grip. In another life maybe it would have responded to me completely, but even as a muggleborn girl I could sense that the wand did not want me as its owner, but it still worked for me because it too felt a small connection.

The yew and hellhound core on the other hand was all too eager to perform magic for me. Every time I touched the stark white wood sparks would fly from the tip and I could feel the fire within me flare up, itching to be let loose.

Fear stayed my hand from curling around the ornate handle, carved with runes I did not understand and a pattern of swirls. It did not feel right to me to be wielding so much power.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by Fawkes flying in through my open window with a scroll in his talons. His music filled the room as he greeted me.

"Hello pretty boy." I cooed. "Does Dumbledore wish to see me again?"

Fawkes almost nodded in answer, dropped the scroll into my hand and flew off again, twisting and turning his way over the Black Lake.

As I had predicted Dumbledore wished to meet me before the rest of the children arrived. So I made my way down to his office, taking my time in the empty halls and savoring the quiet for the last time.

When I got to the Griffin blocking the entrance to Headmaster's office I saw Professor Snape striding toward it as well.

"Good afternoon, Professor. Will you be joining the meeting between the Headmaster and me?" I asked as he said the password.

Without glancing in my direction he motioned me forward ahead of him and as I walked by said, "Seeing as that it was I who called the meeting in the first place, yes I will be joining."

I just nodded and waited for the stairs to take us up to the office.

"Severus, you can't be serious. To have her in...No I don't think that is wise."

"Think about it old man!" Snape snarled. "it is the only way for me to be close to her on a regular basis without drawing suspicion from others. I could tell them I took my star pupil under my wing, you know I couldn't do that if she were in any other house. She must request Slytherin."

I just sat there looking at the men arguing about my future.

"But she is a muggleborn, Severus! She will never be accepted, and we cannot lie. You know that every Pureblood family is well documented and she is clearly not foreign." Albus responded, seeming desperate at the situation unfolding before his eyes.

"Again, because of the special circumstances, if I take her under my protection, the Snakes won't harm her. Their parents will tell them it is because I see something in her that could be used on the Dark Lord's side when he comes back. And that is what we will make it look like."

The look of defeat on the Headmaster's face told me that he had in fact lost this argument. Professor Snape turned to me, I had been left out of the conversation up until now. I did not like the triumphant smirk on his face and glared at him to let him know my disapproval.

"But it is my choice? In the end, which house I choose, it's my choice."

Snape did not like my glare or my defiant words. "Yes Miss Granger, it is your choice. But the only logical one would be for you to be under my protection. That way when the Dark Lord returns, and he will return, you are already in a position to be taken care of. I will teach you how to control your powers and to everyone else it will look like I will am grooming you to be the perfect weapon for Voldemort."

Earlier in the discussion the two men told me about this Voldemort person. I had done some reading on the wizarding war, but they told me insider details. They also Informed me that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would be coming back and what my powers would mean to him. There was no way he wouldn't find out, he had spies in in the Ministry the first time and a list of Elementals was kept on file there as well, even if most of the Ministry had no clue about them.

I still had some concerns. "Okay, but if these Snakes," I tested out the commonly used nickname for the house Professor Snape wished me to join, it felt wrong on my tongue. "If they try to hurt me because I am a muggleborn, what will happen?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth, but Snape stopped him with a hand.

"I promise you it will not come to that. But I can't make them befriend you. Look to the Ravenclaws for that."

"Or Gryffindors!" Chimed Dumbledore happily.

Seeing that his work was done the dark Professor gave me a curt half bow and glared at the Headmaster one last time before departing.

"Don't mind him dear. He has always had a temperament, but is fiercely loyal to those he deems worthy."

I excused myself to get ready for the Opening Feast; Hagrid would take me down to Hogsmeade, the local wizarding town, and I would return to the castle with the rest of the first years.

So far I was not impressed with the eleven year olds coming off the train. They were small and scared looking, all of them staring up in awe at Hagrid's size.

People were whispering about Harry Potter, that he was on the train as a first year. I had read about the Potter's, how James and Lily died on Halloween about ten years age and Harry destroyed Voldemort, even though now, thanks to Professors Dumbledore and Snape, I knew that Voldemort wasn't really gone, just in hiding, and most likely without a body. No one really knew what happened to Harry afterwards, but I had a feeling Dumbledore had a hand in where he was placed.

A boy close to me kept asking everyone about his toad, Trevor, he had apparently lost. The boy came over to me, looking so lost and terrified.

"Excuse me. Have you seen my toad?" His voice shook from fright.

I felt some pity for him, remembering how scared I had been coming to Hogwarts. "No, sorry, I haven't. My name is Hermione Granger."

He smiled. "Neville Longbottom."

With a nod I walked off, moving toward the back of the group. Two boys were just getting off the back of the train and started moving toward Hagrid. I stopped them.

"Have you two seen a toad? That boy Neville has lost his. Oh my gosh, you're glasses!" The shorter of the two, a boy with jet black hair and green eyes had on glasses that looked as if they had been broken in multiple places over many years.

"Oculus reparo!" I said primly, my vinewood wand in hand. The magic was weak, but still effective.

The boy smiled as he felt his now fixed glasses. "Thanks, that was amazing." Like me he seemed to have never seen magic before coming here.

"Not a problem, I'm Hermione Granger."

"Harry, Harry Potter."

My eyes widened in wonder. "You're Harry Potter?" my voice incredulous.

Poor boy looked sheepish at being recognized again, not fully understanding that everyone in the wizarding world knew his name. To take the attention off of him I turned to his tall gangly companion.

"And you are?"

His ears turned pink, which clashed with his brilliant red hair. "Ron Weasley."

A blond boy just behind me turned around sharply at the mention of his name.

"A Weasley? The red hair and a hand-me-down robes already gave you away. My father told me about your family. How poor you are." he sneered out.

"You two," he said, pointing to Harry and myself. "You might want to consider getting a better class of friends. I think I can help you with that."

He held his hand out to Harry first, who just stared at it.

I jumped in quickly. "Thank you, but I think we will wait until we get Sorted to figure out who our friends will be." The boy nodded and walked away, following Hagrid who was finally walking to the lake.

Walking into the Great Hall had been intimidating. Every single eye was on the first years as McGonagall lead us in and many were pointing and whispering to the scrawny black haired boy directly behind me.

One girl was staring up at the ceiling with a dumbfounded look on her face and I could not help but show how much I knew about the castle from being here before them.

"It's enchanted. It just looks like the sky." I whispered. Everyone who heard began to look at me with awe.

We stopped before the Head table, in front of the small dais, where Professor McGonagall had paces a stool with a raggedy brown hat.

The whole hall wen still, waiting, until finally the hat moved. a mouth and eyes formed out of the folds and it spoke.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

Something new is coming

That no one has ever seen

Beware the one with fire in their heart

For their choice can turn the tides

Now take a seat, don't be afraid

And plop me on your head

I am the Hogwarts Sorting hat

By my choice you must abide

The hall broke out into furious whispers as everyone tried to decipher the Hat's clue. Of course I already knew what the hat was talking about, and looking up at the table in front of me, Dumbledore did not look surprised or concerned. Snape, however, looked incredibly worried. He was sitting next to one of the Professors who had been on vacation until recently.

McGonagall had started reading names and the first few kids were sorted.

"Granger, Hermione!"

My heart leapt into my throat and I walked forward.

The matronly woman gave me a kind look; she had been filled in on the happenings of the meetings between me, Dumbledore, and Snape. She placed the hat on my head and a voice came into my mind.

"Ah! Here she is, the Girl on Fire." laughter rang out. "You are going to have a lot of choices ahead of you, but this one was already made for you."

"Professor Snape said that Slytherin would be the best house for me. Can he really protect me?"

"You have the courage of a Gryffindor, which under normal circumstances would be my first choice for you, but you also have the drive for knowledge like a Ravenclaw. You have many qualities from all four houses and I would find it difficult to place you in just one, but let me tell you this little girl. You would thrive in any of them. As for Severus Snape, he may not seem like it, and he most definitely will get worse during classes, but he is a man of his word and he will not let any harm come to you." A lengthy pause ensued as I mulled over this piece of information.

"Miss Granger, it is entirely up to you. Let me put you in Gryffindor, and you lose Snape's protection, or allow yourself the challenge of becoming a Snake."

The right choice sprung into my mind and as I thought the word the hat yelled it to the hall.

"Slytherin!"


	6. The Snake Nest and Classes

Chapter 5 The Snake Nest and Classes

"Okay listen up you lot. I'm going to give you a quick tour of the snake pit and don't bother asking any questions when I'm done." The perfect guy stood in front of a long stretch of windows. Outside of those windows was the lake, correction under the lake.

"Here we have the common room. All firsties must be out of the way by nine. Dorms are down the stairs; girl to the right and boys to the left. The password this year is Serpent's tongue." He looked at us menacingly and then he walked away toward another group of boys who looked about his age.

The other first years around me looked confused as to what they were supposed to do. I didn't feel like hanging around and answering their inevitable questions, so I walked purposefully toward the stairs to claim my new bed. There were only three girls, including myself, who were sorted into Slytherin this year. And I would have to share a room with them. The dorms were much like the common room, decorated in green and silver with snake motifs all around. We also had three windows that gave us a view of under the water of the Black Lake. I chose the bed farthest from the door, but it was up against a window on one side. All of my things had already been sent down from my previous room so I just dragged my trunk to the bed I picked.

I did what Professor Snape asked of me, and now I am in Slytherin house for seven years. Tomorrow all the questions will be asked and I will have to face the wrath of my peers. At least that's what Dumbledore was convinced was going to happen.

But for now I will get ready for bed. Because I am right next to the window I can close three of the four curtains around my four poster bed and have the dim light if the moon filtering through the water as a light. I could get used to falling asleep with the squid floating lazily in the murky water.

Just as I predicted, at breakfast two of the other first years, the blond boy from the incident with that Weasley boy, and a pug faced, snotty girl took turns interrogating the other first years.

I was done with my breakfast because I got up so early and now I just had to wait for Snape to pass out our schedules, I wished he would hurry up before they turned to me.

But it was already too late.

"Hey, quiet girl down there! Yeah, you with the wild hair. What's your name?" Yelled the girl.

I learned that her name was Pansy Parkinson when she was questioning others.

"Hermione Granger." I replied respectably, while also putting as much contempt in my voice as possible.

The blond boy spoke, "Of the French Gangers, I presume. I am Draco, Draco Malfoy."

I shook my head. "I don't think there is any relation, no."

The group looked puzzled, trying to rack their brains for any other pureblood family with Granger for fora surname.

"Are you half-blood?" Piped up one of the mousy boys.

Again I shook my head. "Not to my knowledge."

"No, you have to be. You can't be a mudblood!" They stared at me incredulously. I sat calm as I could with a small smile, secretly I enjoyed the dumb looks on all of their faces, but I was worried they would seriously try to harm me. Even some of the upperclassmen were starting to glare at me.

"Impossible, Slytherin house cannot have a mudblood in it!" Pansy screamed. The whole hall was now turned to Slytherin table as one by one members of the house started to leap from their seats and point my direction.

Cowering, I look up to the head table and see Professor Snape walking my way with an angry scowl on his face. I follow his progression until he stops right behind me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"Enough!" He shouts making me and everyone else wince. The Slytherin table slowly sits back down, expecting to hear that Snape and Dumbledore had fixed the evident mistake.

In a deadly whisper Professor Snape said, "I am appalled at your behavior. You are Slytherins," he punctuated each word with deadly force. "I thought you were supposed to be better than shouting like a bunch of Gryffindors."

The Snakes looked ashamed at being compared to the Lions. And Snape wasn't done yet.

"Miss Granger has been placed in Slytherin just as all of you have. Obviously the Sorting Hat saw something in her that made her worthy of the noblest of houses. Because of her circumstances, I will assure, personally, that absolutely no harm will come to Miss Granger. Do I make myself clear?" His glare met each and every pair of eyes at the Slytherin table before he subtly gave my shoulder a quick squeeze of reassurance and then he stalked back to the Head table to collect our schedules.

I received mine first and I quickly left, not wanting to feel the hatred pouring off of my fellow housemates a moment longer.

My first week of classes was not as miserable as I would have thought. All of the teachers went over what they expected from us in the class and because I knew them already I was not surprised by anything they did. None of the Slytherins would sit next to me, so I ended up in the front of every class by myself; unless we had classes with the Ravenclaws, they fought for the front few seats.

Friday was our first Potions class. I was looking forward to it. Professor Snape seemed exceedingly knowledgeable, and I was very interested in his subject. When I was reading through the required text the methods and magic used were so subtle and beautiful. It called to me. Most of the potions texts in the library fell under the restricted category and I could only assume why. Our books hinted at ways you could maim or otherwise seriously injure a person with potions, ways that would be impossible with charms or transfiguration.

Because the dungeons were now my home, I was slowly getting used to the cold and darkness; I was always cold down here and had a thicker cloak or a blanket when I was in the dorms. Beyond the literal coldness, I also experienced an icy frost from my classmates. Most of the upper years left me be, not wanting to interfere with the drama, but the first years and some second years were down right cruel.

One night, after McGonagall assigned us an essay, I offered my assistance because I had already finished. Pansy laughed evilly and went on about how a pureblood didn't need help from a mudblood and how I was inferior to her and the others in some way. She was my main antagonist; always doing idiotic things such as hitting me as I walked past, calling me names, and so on. I was hurt of course, but not enough for it to affect me or my performance in classes.

I made my way down to the potions classroom, alone as usual. I heard the voices of the other Slytherins behind me, walking fast through the dungeons. The girls were giggling and shushing each other. It seemed as though they were trying to be stealthy, but hadn't quite mastered the practice. The whole group, two girls and five boys, caught up to me.

"Mudblood! Mudblood come here! We want to talk to you!" More giggles erupted from the girls' mouth at Pansy's call.

I didn't pause, quickly walking toward the classroom door, but the two giant boys, Crabbe and Goyle, grabbed me and slammed me into the rough wall. One of my cheeks scraped the rock and I could feel the soft skin split open.

Draco spoke this time, "It's time you know your place mudblood. From now on you will be our slave, as you should be. You do our work and you won't be hurt." He walked to me and grabbed my chin so I was looking at him. "Do you understand me?"

I spat in his face, enraged at his proposition. I couldn't reach for my wand, I always carried my vinewood one in the pocket of my robe, but I could still feel my fire coming alive with my anger.

The two boys released me with a cry, looking at their hands and back at me. The taller of the two pointed at me, "She burnt us!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Grab her again! What are you waiting for you idiots!" cried Draco.

But it was too late. I took off running into the classroom and they had no choice but to let me be once I got in because as they entered behind me so did the Gryffindors. I could hear the muttering coming from Draco and Pansy, both bent on revenge. But one of the other boys, Blaise I thought his name was, flashed me a smile when I looked at him to discern his rage.

I looked away, confused, but I put it out of my mind. I burnt those two boys. The fire within me got too hot for them to hold me; also it was connected to my anger. I mulled over these revelations.

A banging pulled me out of my mind. Professor Snape, in his usual dramatic fashion, swept through the classroom and turned to face us, his cloak billowing behind him.

His opening speech enthralled me, making his subject my immediate favorite. However, I got to see his temper up close when he berated Harry Potter. The poor boy had no idea what the Professor was asking him, but the Professor was being malicious and it seemed his intent to humiliate Potter.

Because it wanted to prove myself, not to Professor Snape, but to the Snakes, I raised my hand each question he asked. But Snape never even looked my way; that is, until after he was finished with his interrogation on the poor boy and we were all copying notes.

Professor Snape patrolled the class while he lectured and when he passed by my table he stopped.

Confused I looked up; his face was one of fury. I lifted my hand and felt the deep scrape on my cheek and I winced at the touch. He knew it was no accident. All of the Slytherins noticed the Professors sudden stop and even though he had his back to them I think they could tell he was angry, all of the Gryffindors were oblivious of course.

After the pregnant pause, Snape resumed with his lecture.

Just as the bell rang his voice sounded out.

"Slytherins! Stay!"


	7. Intro to the Dark Arts

Chapter 6 Intro to the Dark Arts

"Slytherins! Stay!" Snape snapped as the bell rang. The students who had tried to hastily make it to the door turned in defeat, while the Gryffindors just looked confused. Harry Potter caught my eye and I could see his eyes widen as he took in the state of my face. I could sense a kind heart from that boy. He walked out of the classroom last after his fellow housemates.

"Miss Granger come here please." Snape's tone was still angry, but not harshly directed at me. I followed him to his office and he motioned for me to sit on a couch there as he moved to a cabinet in back of his desk.

"I want you to stay here and rub this on your injury. The salve will reduce any pain and scarring you will have. I will go have a word with your classmates." After handing me a small jar, he swept out of the door and closed it with a sharp crack.

I couldn't hear any of what was said on the other side of the door. I was thankful for the silence as it gave me chance to think about what I would tell Snape. In an owl he sent yesterday morning, he asked me to meet him in his classroom to begin our lessons tonight and also to come with questions and concerns as he would help me with them.

Because the sour man was going to be helping me with my powers I needed to tell him any new development, like the incident in the hallway.

The door opened again and once he examined my cheek, which I have yet to see myself, he told me to go to my next class and filled out a pass.

Before I closed the door I turned back around. "Something new happened; I will discuss it with you tonight." His eyebrows shot up at the mention of my powers changing and he nodded.

"Where are you going mudblood? Off to put your nose in another book? Nerd." The mean pug faced girl laughed, but she was the only one. The other Slytherin first years seemed to be sufficiently humbled by Professor Snape's lecture for them. They all had a weeks' worth of detention with Filch, the caretaker, starting next Monday.

"Not that it is any of your business, Parkinson, but I have extra lessons. With Snape." I threw my hair over my shoulder as I turned sharply and strutted out of the now silent common room.

Professor Snape sat grading papers when I knocked on his open door to announce my presence.

As I walked forward he flicked his wand, without glancing up, and closed and locked the door behind me. All of the tables had been pushed to the sides of the classroom leaving the middle empty.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to silence me. He finished writing a comment in bright red ink, stowed his quill and inkwell and looked at me finally.

"I apologize; I needed to finish my thought on that dunderhead's paper. Sit. I believe you said something about a new development." He summoned a chair that faced him by his desk.

"Today, when the other Slytherins threatened me, I got angry." My voice was very small. Sitting with Snape was very intimidating; his presence and demeanor of indifference and dislike was lessened only slightly now. He stayed silent, looking at me to continue.

"Crabbe and Goyle were both holding on to my arms and when I became angered, I could feel that fire build up. I burnt both of their hands, they were just holding onto me and they cried out. I hurt them!" I could feel tears well up in my eyes, I felt terrible for hurting anyone, even if they may have deserved it.

Snape looked at me critically. "Do you think you could repeat the process? Without becoming angry?"

"I might. It might take me awhile, but I think I might be able to. I remember how it heated me up." I trailed off, trying to recall exactly how it felt, how my fire felt.

Professor Snape put a hand on my arm. "Do not fear burning me, I will just be a way to find out if it worked. You will not hurt me." In that moment I trusted him, not because he was my Professor, but because he had picked up on the cause of all of my fears, hurting people, and he had reassured me.

I smiled, and then I focused, closing my eyes and searching for the familiar feeling of heat. It took me a moment to call it, but when I did I pulled as much of the heat as I could forward, but instead of willing it to manifest in front of me I made it spread to my limbs. This took most of the concentration; I had to manipulate the fire so that it would stay internal and not manifest itself.

Almost immediately I heard a gasp from my Professor and I felt the weight of his hand leave my arm. The heat left me as quickly as I had called it and I opened my eyes.

Professor Snape had his wand in his hand and was shooting a cooling and healing spell at the hand that had been on my arm. I could see blisters disappearing as the spells took hold. He was smirking, almost smiling.

"That was good, Miss Granger. You have more control over your fire magic than we thought. Now tell me, what do you do to call the fire forward? Walk me through the process please."

Snape pulled a notebook forward and a quill and black ink, and looked at me expectantly.

"The fire is separate from the rest of my magic. I can feel two distinct reservoirs, that's the best way to describe it. The fire one is much stronger than my other magic, but I think that that is because it is a natural power; I haven't learned how to use my other magic yet. The fire is more innate. When I want to call on my Elemental magic, I can feel it heat my body, and then I just have to think about what I want it to do." I finished speaking and Professor Snape wrote his last few notes.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, looking at me quizzically with his hands steepled under his chin, a trait I think he picked up from Dumbledore.

"These first few lessons I think we will work on your control of the magic, I don't want to introduce you to the Dark Arts too quickly; it is a lot for anyone to take in, let alone a first year."

"First, I promised you I would answer questions. Do not waste my time with silly questions or ones that you know I would have no knowledge of." His voice became harsher, an edge of disdain tinted his smooth tone.

"What can you tell me about the three fire Elementals who came before me? I know they went Dark and had to be stopped, but is there anything else?" I could hear my desperation color my voice and I looked at Snape, hoping it was an acceptable question.

He sighed almost imperceptibly, and ran one hand through his greasy hair. "It is not a pleasant tale for any of them. The first was actually a very famous witch, but today not many know what she is famous for. A witch who became overcome with her powers and betrayed her lover. Her name was Morgana, also known as Morgan le Fay. Not many wizards today understand what exactly happened, only that Merlin and Morgana were the first two with magical ability that focused their magic through a wand and used spells. All magic before them was very wild and untamed. They learned how to control it. Merlin used his magic for good, but Morgana, using her Elemental fire magic, created the Dark Arts and betrayed Merlin. Not even I know the exact events that took place, but Merlin in his grief and rage killed Morgana, but the damage had been done."

I was speechless, the witch who created the Dark Arts, the terrible magic I had heard horrible things about since I stepped foot in Hogwarts, was like me. I didn't hear the rest of Professor Snape's words on the other two wizards; I was too busy trying to remember the other questions I had for him.

I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for me to speak again.

"Sorry, just trying to gather my thoughts, Sir. How will teaching me the Dark Arts help me with my powers? If your goal is to stop me from becoming Dark, won't it make more sense to withhold the information?"

"If you had been paying attention while I was talking you would have known that one of the wizards stayed away from the Dark Arts, but his own magic consumed him." The look of annoyance on the Professors face made me feel ashamed.

"Sorry Professor. I have no more questions right now."

"Good. Did you bring both of your wands as I instructed?"

In response I pulled the vinewood wand from my pocket and then dug in my bag for the box containing the powerful yew wand and placed both on the table.

"I wish for you to start tonight with the vinewood, and hopefully we will be able to have you start learning to control the fire with the yew. Because this particular brand of magic is tied with nature you can use it without the aid of a wand, but in order to really have control over it you need to find a way to focus it. Being a Fire Elemental will mean that any fire magic you do, from lighting a candle to anything on a large scale, it will be much more powerful than even a fully grown wizard could ever hope to produce."

He had me move to the middle of the room and he stood a couple of paces away.

"The incantation to make fire come out of the tip of your wand is Incendio. Just flick your wrist while saying it as such." He gave his wrist a sharp downward flick and said; "Incendio!" and fire sprang from his wand and illuminated his face like a candle would. With a wave the flame extinguished itself.

"Now you try."

I practiced the wand movement once, and looked at him to see if it was correct. Snape nodded and then flicked his own wand.

"Incendio!" My voice shook, but I produced a flare of fire, the heat from which spread quickly throughout the room. The flame from the end of my wand was much larger, like a torch rather than a candle. I waved my wand, as Snape had, and it extinguished.

"Now do it again, but focus on making the flame smaller, the heat less extreme." Snape instructed.

I repeated the process over and over until he was satisfied with the results. And then he walked over his desk where my other wand was laying and retrieved it.

"Use this one now. You must learn to master this magic with your true wand. Being as wild as it is it will never stop growing in power and will eventually become too much magic for that weaker wand to control." He held the box open for me to grab the wand. Both of us could see how my hand shook when I reached for it and then the sparks that flew from the end when I laid just a finger on it. Power surged through me when I picked it up. I had to take a deep breath and push down the rise of magic and heat.

Professor Snape spoke, "Easy now. Do the spell and focus your control." Again, I saw his wand move in anticipation of my spell.

I could not control my voice because of the fight of power happening inside my body, but I managed to whisper.

"Incendio."


End file.
